There's something about Christmas Time
by Vickysg1
Summary: It's Christmas Eve and things are changing.


Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don't earn any money; I just do it for fun.  
Author's Note: This fic was written for Day 22 of the Sparky Advent Calender. My Muse hasn't been nice with me and didn't want to let me write this fic until yesterday night, so this fic has just been completed and isn't beta'd yet. This is a sequel to Part 3 of Relationship Status Change, so it's better if you read at least this part first. The title comes from the song Christmas Time. Again, thanks to my beta csiangel!

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"It's getting late," John whispered, breaking the silence.

Elizabeth just hummed in reply, her head still resting against his shoulder. One of her hands was on his thigh, her thumb rubbing circles absentmindedly. His arm was wrapped around her shoulder, ensuring that she didn't go anywhere.

They would have never sat like this _before_, Elizabeth realised suddenly. They would have never spent Christmas on Earth together to begin with. But that was _before_, and this was _now_. _Before_, they would have never let their feelings for the other show; it would have been too much of a risk to even acknowledge to themselves that such feelings existed in the first place. _Now_, everything was different, not just because she wasn't the leader of the expedition anymore, but also because they had both realised that life was too short.

It was totally cliché, but if you weren't allowed clichés at Christmas, when were you?

_Now_, they wanted to make the most of the time they were given. _Now_, they wanted their lives to move on from the limbo they were stuck in – literally for Elizabeth at one point – when she was missing. They had taken a tentative first step in the right direction, but they both knew that was the easiest part for them; the hardest one was still to come: they had to realise that they were allowed to put themselves first for once. For two people who always put the safety and well-being of the rest of the expedition before their own, it really wasn't an easy task.

But tonight, on Christmas Eve, on Earth and away from Atlantis, they could try.

Elizabeth sighed softly, snuggling further against John's side. Her eyes left the fireplace to look at the snow falling heavily outside. It didn't look like it would stop any time soon. But it was alright with her; Christmas wasn't really Christmas if there wasn't snow. She sighed once more, content to be right there.

"You're not falling asleep on me, I hope," John said, a smile on his face and in his voice.

"No," she replied, chuckling.

"Good. I don't want to have to carry you upstairs to your room."

"You could leave me here. We could both stay here," she added, her voice barely audible.

"You're telling me you would be willing to endure the endless teasing from both your mother and my brother?" he asked.

"It would be worth it," she answered, and no doubt could be heard in her voice.

"Yeah, it would be," he agreed. "It would even be worth their teasing and Rodney's, Teyla's, Ronon's, Lorne's and really the whole expedition's."

"Yeah... But promise me that you would never carry me in your arms when we go back home, unless it's an emergency," she quickly added. "I would be mortified if that were to happen."

"And you would punish me dearly if I ever try."

"That I would."

They both laughed, Elizabeth burying her face into his chest to try and smother her laughter – she certainly didn't want to wake her mother or his brother, not now. Once John calmed down, he tightened his hold on Elizabeth and kissed the top of her head.

"You understand that I wouldn't be mortified because of you, right?" she asked, suddenly worried that he would take what she said the wrong way.

"I know," he reassured her. "I promise I will refrain myself from carrying you in public. But I reserve the right to do that in private."

"That's really fine with me," she replied, turning her head up to smile at him.

Knowing that he could, he didn't resist the urge to kiss her lips, and she brought her hands to his face to hold him there. They deepened the kiss, Elizabeth pressing even more into his side. This kiss was nothing like the chaste one they had shared earlier, but it still carried the same feelings. When it came to a natural end, he rested his forehead against hers, their noses brushing against each other.

"Eskimo kiss," Elizabeth whispered.

"I don't know about you, but I thought it was really romantic when I was a child."

"And now?"

"Now, I prefer our way of kissing."

"Me too," she assured him, going for his lips again.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and enjoined her to straddle his lap without breaking the kiss. His lips then left hers and trailed down her neck, finding her pulse point and pressing a kiss there. She shivered, and he smiled against her skin; he would file that information away for a future use.

Her hands ended up in his hair, and she raked her fingernails against his scalp. When he groaned, she laughed; two could play that game.

They resumed kissing, their kisses becoming more passionate, tongues duelling, teeth gently nipping. After a few minutes, John forced them to stop. They looked at each other as they caught their breath, a smile on their faces, their lips slightly swollen from kissing.

"It has been years since I last made out on a couch," Elizabeth said.

"Yeah. And your mother can still catch us," he reminded her.

"I'm not sure that talking about my mom at a time like this is a good idea," she teased. "But she loves you, so I don't think she would really mind."

"Though I appreciate your mother loving me, it's not hers that matter the most to me."

For a second, they were both surprised that he actually said it out loud, as John wasn't one to talk about his feelings, usually. But he wasn't taking it back; it was out there, and he wanted to be honest tonight. And he deserved the same from Elizabeth.

"You don't have to worry about that," she just said, pecking his lips.

Silence fell upon them once again as their eyes locked. They had always been good at understanding each other without words needed, even at their beginning. That had freaked Rodney out numerous times, and they had often done that on purpose. Even though a long time had gone by, when she came back, they had gone back to their own way of communication without really thinking about it. They still knew how the other was thinking after all this time. Needless to say that had freaked Rodney out even more than usual.

So it was only natural for John to notice the exact moment Elizabeth had an idea. She got up from his lap and he only had a second to mourn her absence before she took his hands in hers. She pulled him off the couch and still holding one of his hands, she pulled him towards the French doors. Before he had time to ask what she was doing, they were outside.

"Elizabeth, it's freezing out there," he protested, wanting to pull her back inside but she resisted.

"You will keep me warm," she argued, as snow dusted her dark hair.

Releasing his hands, she took a step back and tilted her head up. She opened her mouth to catch the snowflakes. John laughed heartily at the picture she presented. At the sound, she looked back at him, smiling.

"I used to do this all the time when I was a child. Since I got back, I hoped to be on Earth when it was snowing to be able to do this again."

"Well then, let's do this," he replied, tilting his head back.

It had been a while since he had done it too, and it felt like going back in time for a while. That was until a gush of wind made him shiver. Walking towards Elizabeth, he pulled her in his arms, and she put her hands against his chest, her head resting right above his heart. His hands rubbed her back, trying to warm both of them up.

"Come on, let's go back inside before we catch a cold."

She let herself be led back into the house, and they stood in front of the fireplace, Elizabeth still wrapped in John's arms.

"It's past midnight," he said, nodding towards the clock on the mantel. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," she replied, kissing him again.

Her yawn forced them to break the kiss, and he chuckled.

"Ok, I think it's way past your bedtime."

Without waiting for her to reply, he took her hand and they walked towards the stairs. They stopped in front of her bedroom, and he leaned down to kiss her goodnight.

"Good night," he whispered.

"Good night."

Instead of letting go of his hand, though, she tightened her hold on it. He looked at her, a question in his eyes.

"Maybe you could stay. Not to... you know," she pre-empted his next question, "but just to..."

She couldn't voice her thoughts, what she wanted, but he still understood.

"Yes, of course."

With a smile, she opened her door, and her hand still in his, she led him inside.

Fin


End file.
